In recent years shaving razors with numerous blades have been proposed in the literature and commercialized, e.g., U.S. Pat. Pub. 2005/0039337 A1 published on Feb. 24, 2005, which generally describes a type of design that has been commercialized globally as the five bladed Fusion™ razor by The Gillette Company.
In emerging markets, such as China and India, the shaving razor of choice is a standard double edge style razor, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 3,274,683 issued Sep. 27, 1966, generally describes a design used in emerging markets. The standard double edge style razor may be economical, but the user tends to experience nicks, cuts and irritation. A majority of emerging market consumers do not have the means to purchase the shaving razors that are widely popular in the United States. Some commercially available shaving razors have pivot mechanisms that include a handle with a pin that fits into a pocket located on a cartridge. These pivot mechanisms do not provide for optimal rinsing and often obstruct water from reaching the blades.
Shaving consumers in emerging markets shave infrequently, sometimes only once or twice a week. There is also little or no availability of running water to rinse or clean a shaving razor and the availability of skin cleansers and pre-shaving and post-shaving shaving aids are limited. Pre-shaving aids may include shaving oils, gels and lotions and post-shaving aids may include after shave gels, lotions and moisturizers. A cup or bowl is typically filled with water and is used to rinse the shaving razor because running water is scarce. It is much more difficult to rinse out a shaving razor in the cup or bowl compared to running water. The shaving razors disclosed in the above mentioned patent application are quite sophisticated having have been designed for Western shaving habits, practices and environments, and thus do not deliver an ideal shaving experience for consumers in emerging markets. The shaving consumers in emerging countries have a much different shaving environment, as well as different shaving habits and practices, than shaving consumers in more developed countries, such as the United States. The shaving consumers in emerging countries want the benefits of various shaving technologies that deliver a closer and more comfortable shave, but they are not willing to sacrifice cost or rinsability of the shaving cartridge.